As the world continues to remember the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, The Royal Mint has chosen to honour one very special lady.

Nurse Edith Cavell was one of the most prominent female casualties of the First World War and is set to be remembered on a British coin. The British nurse was executed by a German firing squad in 1915.

The coin depicts a scene with the ever-vigilant Edith tending to a wounded soldier with a portrait-style design of the selfless nurse in her uniform as the background.

To mark the release Edith’s niece Dr Emma Cavell, and her ten month old daughter also called Edith, visited The Royal Mint to strike one of the special edition coins in her honour.

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Nurse Cavell was one of the most prominent female casualties of the First World War

Dr Emma Cavell said: "My great, great grandfather and Edith’s father were brothers. The family has been in Australia since at least Nurse Cavell’s time but, growing up, we have always known about Edith Cavell.

"My grandfather used to talk about her all the time and had memories of a postcard from Edith to my great grandfather in Australia."

She added: "It is fantastic to know that her bravery and courage is being recognised in this way, and to have the opportunity to strike and accept one of these special coins on behalf of my family."

I look forward to telling my daughter about her famous namesake one day, and am sure that she will treasure this coin which honours her relative."

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To mark the release Edith’s niece Dr Emma Cavell visited The Royal Mint to strike one of the coins

Each year until 2018, a set of six coins will be released that cover a range of themes; key battles, the armed forces and support services, technological developments of the period, the cultural impact of war and stories of some of the heroes of the time, including Edith Cavell.

The final set will be a poignant reflection on armistice and the on-going legacy of the war.

The six-coin sets are presented with detailed information on the theme, the design and the artist, helping to tell the story behind the coins.